I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compositions of matter having buffering and nutritional properties. More particularly, the present invention relates to a composition that includes an antacid base comprising magnesium oxide as the primary active ingredient and calcium carbonate. The composition further includes one or more supplemental vitamins and/or one or more trace minerals, such as zinc oxide. The composition of the present invention has both buffering and nutritional properties. The composition is administered in a tablet or powder form.
II. Description of the Relevant Art
Magnesium, calcium, and phosphorous are macrominerals which are all necessary--in proper ratios--for proper functioning of living things. An overabundance of one or the other of the minerals is problematic. Such a situation is present environmentally where phosphates are highly prevalent and are not only in food and soft drinks, but are also in washing materials and fertilizers. Phosphates have, in fact, become overly abundant when compared with the other two macrominerals. This is apparent environmentally in the case of excessive algae growth in bodies of water (where algae thrives on phosphates, just as growing grass does, hence the reason for its inclusion in fertilizers).
Growth in the corn plant is an example of how the imbalance of macrominerals was done intentionally, and how this imbalance has entered the food chain. At one time a relatively low-dose formulation of phosphate was used as a fertilizer for growing crops, such as corn. The stalk of the corn depends upon calcium and magnesium for proper growth, while the seedhead (containing the highest amount of protein, and, of course, protein contains phosphate in the DNA!) depends upon magnesium. About the time of the oil embargoes of the 1970's, however, it was discovered that a concentrated form of phosphate, a "superphosphate", could be used to accelerate the growth of the seedhead. However, the stalk remained stunted.
Between our fast food diets and the rampant use of phosphates in fertilizers, living organisms have excess amounts of phosphates with inadequate amounts of calcium and magnesium. In fact, the total amount of magnesium in today's diet represents only about 25% of the magnesium in diets of persons of two generations ago. This imbalance presents a variety of problems. Phosphates, which are acidic, cause increased excitability in muscle tissue, and is thought to accordingly be a basis for problems in children such as attention deficit disorder and ADHT and the increased prevalence of ulcers in adults. (In fact, the prevalence of ulcers in grazing animals and race horses 90% of thoroughbreds are so afflicted! where "stress" is not a factor can be largely attributed to the increased amount of phosphate in the grains these animals eat. At one time such afflictions were simply unknown.) The amount of acidity in the background environment has been increased by acid rain.
This high-acid background coupled with modern lifestyles poses grave consequences to living systems. Life in modern times is, by definition, life in stressful times. The well-being of the individual is clearly compromised by the fast-paced, high-stress styles of life that most Westerners have come to expect as being normal and acceptable.
While many parts of the human body suffer from such a way of life, the stomach and the duodenum represent areas of the body that react most immediately and most vividly to increased stress on the individual.
Two undesirable situations result from stress. First, the body tends to absorb and metabolize important nutrients, particularly the B complex vitamins (the most important of which are vitamins B.sub.1, B.sub.2, B.sub.6 and B.sub.12), at a particularly fast rate. Also metabolized at an accelerated rate are metal elements including calcium, magnesium and zinc.
The second situation relates to the physical destruction of body tissue. In the healthy stomach, gastric mucus and epithelial barrier protect the stomach from "digesting itself". This is critical in that pure gastric juice is capable of digesting all living tissues. Pathogenically, severe and even mild stress works to compromise these lines of defense by causing an alteration in the permeability of the epithelial barrier, thereby allowing back diffusion of hydrochloric acid and contributing to the destruction of underlying tissue. If the body is unable to buffer the stomach acid, ulcers and nutritional deficiencies result, as well as bowel and colon problems. Furthermore, histamine is liberated and plays a role in the stimulation of additional acid and pepsin secretion. The mucosa is damaged as a result and erosions and ulcers may be formed. Plasma protein is lost at this stage.
In responding to the former situation, an increased uptake of selected vitamins and metals by the affected individual works to offset the loss due to stress. Regarding the latter situation, the primary objective in the treatment of erosions and ulcers is to inhibit (or buffer) the acid secretions. Such inhibition results in both relieving symptoms and encouraging healing of the affected region.
Humans have responded to the increased presence of acid in the system by ingesting an ever-increasing number of antacids. Antacids are useful for neutralizing the acid gastric contents by maintaining an elevated pH level such that pepsin is not activated. The buffering feature of antacids is generally provided by a weak base that becomes a buffer on the addition of acid.
Sodium bicarbonate was once the antacid of choice, but its popularity has fallen in light of the excessive amount of sodium in the diet. An alternate antacid uses aluminum, typically in the form of aluminum hydroxide gel (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 xH.sub.2 O). However, aluminum has been related to Alzheimer's disease on the theory that because aluminum is a neurotoxin, it can induce neurofibrillary changes in the brain. This is the result of aluminum toxicity. While it is not clear whether or not the link between the disease and aluminum is absolute, this theory persists.
An antacid presently of choice uses as its principal ingredient magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH).sub.2), which also finds use as a laxative in milk of magnesia (magnesia magma) in a water suspension. However, this compound has been found to be too aggressive, effectively attempting to buffer when excess acidity did not even exist. This leads to a state of over-alkalinization, thus causing acid rebound where the body is trying to maintain a state of pH balance.
There are known some antacids that do not contain aluminum, but use other undesirable components. For example, some popular antacids contains "mineral oil and purified water". However, while mineral oil has for some time been used internally, it is now becoming clear that this is not desirable. Mineral oil taken internally has many negative effects. For example, mineral oil decreases absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as calcium and phosphorous. Furthermore, mineral oil binds carotene from foods in the intestine as it passes. Mineral oil also passes into blood and into the lymph, and picks up additional fat soluble vitamins from body fluids and tissues and excretes these materials in the feces. In addition, mineral oil, which is often used as a laxative (thus the individual using the composition as an antacid will be receiving treatment with a laxative even if such treatment is unnecessary), is also under present suspicion as a contributor to cancer.
Buffering compositions not containing mineral oil are known. However, the compositions substitute mineral oil with other oils that are not desirable according to present knowledge. Specifically, all of the oils used in known compositions are either saturated or are polyunsaturated. Today it is understood that polyunsaturates contribute to cancer because of low-density lipoproteins ("LDL's") and because of the generation of free radicals. Polyunsaturates depress both the density of the LDL's while reducing the numbers of desirable high density lipoproteins ("HDL's").
Furthermore, only LDL elevation is associated with increased coronary risk, while HDL elevation correlates with decreased risk. Accordingly, HDL cholesterol has been referred to as "benevolent" cholesterol, and HDL elevation is increasingly being thought of as having protective effects.
Other approaches to resolving the problem of excess acidity in the human system include hydrogen-ion inhibitors which are directed to halting the production of stomach acid before it begins. The failing of these drugs is that without acid, food is not digested, and nutritional deficiency results.
Modern medicine has stepped back to reconsider the question of the calcium-magnesium-phosphate balance. The focus is now not on neutralizing acidity and reducing phosphates as much as it is by improving the overall balance of these macrominerals. In response to the increased acidity of the human diet caused by phosphates, attention was given to buffering the acid by the other two macrominerals. Accordingly, the amount of one of the macrominerals--calcium--has been intentionally increased. For example, milk has been supplemented with calcium.
However, the absence of magnesium from living systems has been largely ignored, in spite of the fact that about 98% of all biochemical reactions involve magnesium in either a primary, secondary, or tertiary way. Yet this third "leg" of the macromineral triangle remains wanting. Some more progressive nutritional experts have proposed increasing the presence of magnesium to a ratio of 4:1 with respect to calcium (1 part calcium to 0.25 parts magnesium). Yet this approach also fails to overcome the deficiencies of the modern diet.
Stressful conditions and environmental changes have lead to both excess acidity and nutrient (particularly vitamin) deprivation. There is presently no known pharmaceutical composition which attends to both of these difficulties as a single medication.